


You're Not Alone

by Stony_trash



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Clint Barton is a Little Shit, Fluff and Angst, Humor, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Karaoke, Lots of inappropriate humor, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Steve and Tony share a bed in aou, Steve discovers Tumblr, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED, You won't regret reading
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-10-24
Packaged: 2018-04-19 19:17:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4757855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stony_trash/pseuds/Stony_trash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>''Good morning, Cap!'' Tony greeted from the other side of the hallway.<br/>''It's not gonna be so good if I don't stuff something in me soon.''<br/>Tony raised an eyebrow. Steve realized his mistake as he watched Tony's lips form the biggest shit-eating grin in history. </p><p>''OH my GOD, TONY! Not like THAT!!! I DEFINITELY didn't mean it like that. I'm starving! I have to EAT! I MEANT FOOD, OKAY? TONY YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME! I MEANT FOOD!!! And I CAN'T be held responsible for what I say when I'm hungry!''</p><p>But Tony just kept grinning. </p><p>That perverted little shit.</p><p>''Sure thing Cap, now lets go get something in you, shall we?''<br/>Steve threw his head back and groaned loudly. ''This is never going away, huh?''</p><p>Feel free to comment your ideas, requests and opinions! :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Tell me what do you think or what do you want to see in the following chapters! Comments are very apprechiated! :3
> 
> Enjoy :)

Tony wasn't a good man. He knew that. He was lots of things, smart, rich, attractive... But good wasn't one of them. So when Steve Rogers asked him what he was under the suit, he listed all he was in the eyes of public. A genius, billionaire, playboy philantrophist.

Genius- got two master's degrees at MIT by the age of nineteen. Billionaire- he owned the famous Stark Industries. Playboy- slept with more women than he can count. Philantrophist- started the Maria Stark foundation and regularly donated millions.

But everyone knew what a fuck-up he really was. Reckless, alcocholic, damaged and unstable. So he wasn't exactly surprised whe he heard what Steve had to say.

''I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. You may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero.''

He totally had it coming. He saw it coming. But damn, that hurt. It's not like it matters though. He's been hurting all-over for years. His first thought was to defend himself, so he did what he did best- hurt him back.

''A hero? Like you? You're a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.''

He didn't mean that. At all. Steve was a wonderful person, serum or no. But hey, that's what he does. Pushes away and hurts people he cares about. He could see Steve's jaw clench almost painfully tight. Looks like he hit a nerve.

.........................

''You better stop pretending to be a hero.'' 

Steve's words were ringing inside his head as he flew faster than it was physically possible. He knew he wasn't a hero. He did save lives, but many were lost dye to the weapons he manufactured. Maybe this bomb he was trying to get to the wormhole was also made by him? Isn't that pure irony? He's killed so many people with his bombs, and now he's gonna kill himself. Not that he hasn't tried that a few times. Pepper's not picking up the phone. He's going to die without saying goodbye. Great. She'll be better off without him anyway. 

''What's an angel like her doing with me anyway?'' he thought as he flew in the wormhole. He just felt tired. Tired of everything. He closed his eyes.

''Is this what death feels like?''

All oxygen was gone.

''This is not so bad... Maybe it gets better now.''

..............................

Steve watched Tony disappear with the nuke. He then realised he made a big mistake. A terrible mistake he will never ever forgive himself for. He misjudged Tony completely. God, he said such horrible things to him. Tony Stark _is_ a hero. And Steve was really, really sorry for what he said. But now he'll never get a chance to apologise. To make it right. To call him 'Tony' instead of 'Stark'. To see him ever again. It's too late. Tony's gone.

* * *

 

The air was thick and smelly. People were shouting in a language he couldn't understand. He could hear gunshots in the distance. But he couldn't see anything. He panicked for a moment. He can't lose his eyesight, he's a mechanic! But then someone yanked the fabric off his face. And then he remembered. He was going to Afghanistan to promote his brand new Jericho missile. And they got him. Ten Rings, that's what they call themselves. They caught him and now they were torturing him. His head was once again underwater. Lungs burning and screaming for air. As soon as his face was above the surface, he inhaled deeply. And woke up.

 ............................

Tony suddenly opened his eyes and gasped. Steve felt overwhelming relief wash over his guilt, at least for a short while. Right now, what's most important is that Tony is here. With him. Safe.

'' **WHAT** just happened?! _Please_ tell me nobody kissed me.''

Steve's lips streched into a smile, despite his will. Tony just had to crack a joke right now. He almost died and he's already joking. Idiot. The only answer Tony got out of him was, ''we won''.

For the following week, all Steve could think about was how to make it right between Tony and him again. He felt awful for what he said. 

''I'm such an _asshole_!'' he though as another punching bag flew across the gym. This was the third one that went airborne that day. Unlike any other time Steve was upset, punching sand filled bags did nothing to make him feel better. At all. 

* * *

Tony felt a dull pain in his sides. "Oh hey there, liver, thought I killed ya a while ago!" His heart hurt as well. ''Didn't know I still had a heart...'' he muttered. He tried to stand up but the floor just wouldn't stay still. Boy, was he drunk. Couldn't sleep without waking up screaming so he figured, why not drink himself into oblivion? Just like good ol' times when he'd wake up in the hallway, wondering how did the tiara get on his head or what the fuck was that Peppa pig coloring book doing next to him.

He tried to regain ballance but failed completely. He fell down with a loud thud, taking a little wooden table with him. ''That only costs a fortune'', he grunted.

Pepper found him in the corner of his workshop three hours later. Curled in a ball and still clutching an empty whiskey bottle in his hand. She sighed loudly and covered her face with delicate hands. ''Jarvis, help me out here. How do I get him to bed?''

......................

''This is a new. Level. Of _lame_.'' Tony could hear the disappointment in her voice.

''You ate without me? Already? On date night?''

In his defence, he was starving after doing some work on Mark 41. And you know. Not eating for 38 hours.

''I'm going to bed.''

'Oh no, she's leaving, I gotta make this right', he thought.

''I admit it! It's my fault! Look, honey, I love you, but I can't sleep. I keep dreaming of... Of flying through that wormhole and I...'' he let out a long breath. ''The suits, they're...''

''A distraction.'' Pepper finished and hugged him. His head fell on her chest and Tony listened to her heartbeat to calm himself down. He slowly regained controll over his breathing. When did he even start hyperventlilating?

.........................

Tony was never a religious man, but in the moment he discovered a cure for Pepper, he knew there was God. The whole Mandarin thing was over, and he couldn't remember feeling this happy in years. For a short while, he actually believed everything was gonna be okay.

 And then it happened. It's not like it was entirely unexpected. He saw it coming. He was actually surprised how long Pepper stayed with him before she snapped. She couldn't handle the danger, the constant worry and all the nights Tony would wake up yelling. And Tony didn't blame her. He blamed himself and his shitty life and stupid choices. He let her go though, because that's the best thing he can do to make her happy. He also left her the Malibu beach house and moved to the Avengers tower. It used to be the famous Stark tower but he turned it into a home for his frieTEAMMATES. Team. S'not like they were friends because friends care about each other. So you could say they were only friends from Tony's part. On the nights he didn't spend drowning his depression in skotch, he worked on making better equipment for his fr-TEAM. His teammates. Avengers. Earth's mighties heroes type thing. He has never felt like he belongs in there. Because, you know. As someone once said, he's not a hero. Or a team player. In fact, Fury only wanted him as a counselor. That's what he really is to the Avengers. Maybe that's why they don't like him so much. He can only help with his money and technology. He remembers Steve saying something nice to him once. Something about 'appreciating what he's done for them'. God, Steve... He really liked Steve. He would even consider him as a friend sometimes. But this is Steve. He is nice to everyone. It's just what he does. Tony didn't expect him to actually pretend he was conserned about him during the whole Mandarin thing.

''WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME?!''

Steve was furious. His cheeks were flushed red with anger. If he wasn't feeling like absolute shit, Tony would have asked if the blush goes all the way down.

''Do you even KNOW how WORRIED I WAS?

'Jeez. Almost believed you were actually concerned', Tony thought. At this point his mind wandered off somewhere else. He wondered if Steve maybe really did care about him, but he brushed it off quickly.

''....re dead, Tony. DEAD!'' Steve squealed.

''I...just... I'm sorry. I promise not to do anything like that ever again.''

And that's when Steve first says it. Tony doesn't know it, but he'll be hearing more of it in the future.

''You're not alone, Tony.'' Steve said softly.

And Tony almost believed him.


	2. Chapter 2

Months passed by and Tony would still find himself throwing up expensive booze and swallowing headache pills in the mornings. Depression took over him but he didn't let it show. He always wore his dazzling media smile around the other Avengers, which wasn't very often since he liked to spend days locked in his workshop.

Steve visits him sometimes. Brings him food and coffee ( _cooooooffeeee)._ Sometimes, Tony would wake up in his bed instead of the workshop couch and he would mentally thank Steve, having no courage or will to actually do it. 

Tony usually wasn't around, but when he was, he'd spend time with Steve, watching 21st century movies or listening to pop songs. He smiles for real one time, when Steve discovered what 'anaconda' actually stands for in that famous Nicki Minaj song and blushed.

Tony buys him stuff sometimes. Cars from 60's Steve seems to enjoy, finest art material, anything. Steve thinks it's nice, but keeps telling him that he doesn't need to buy him all that expensive stuff. He knows he doesn't have to. He just... wants to.

....................

''You can't go on like this, Tony!'' Steve was angry, he was trying to control it, but even Tony could see his rage.

''M'sorry Steve, I jus' wan'ed a drink.''

''This is _serious_! I'm calling Pepper. Why isn't she around anyway?! Is she on a buisiness trip?''

Tony winced at the mention of Pepper. He really didn't want to talk about it, the pain was still fresh.

''She left me, Steve. She left me months ago and moved on, and I'm doing  _this._ But she's happy now. Happier without me.'' A tiny sob escaped his lips. ''S'all that matters now.''

Steve was shocked. He just stood there, opening his mouth only to close it again, not knowing what to say. He had no idea Tony and Pepper broke up. God, he was so stupid! He hasn't seen them together in months, he should have known! Been there for Tony! But no, he left him to suffer alone and drink. Steve felt like punching himself in the face. Repeatedly. With a chair.

''Jesus, Tony, I had no idea! I'm so sorry...''

''Why are you sorry? None of this is your fault.''

''Yes, yes it is, I should've been there for you!'' Steve couldn't stand still anymore. He paced towards Tony and wrapped his arms around him and squeezed tight, like he could hug all the pain away. For a while, neither of them moved.

''Well, you're here now'', Tony mumbled in Steve's shoulder.

Steve remained silent for a while. It hurt him to see Tony like this. He had to do something.

''If I asked you for a big favor, would you do it for me?''

''Anything, Cap.''

''I want you to stop drinking. Forever. And I'm gonna help you, I promise. If you ever feel like you're gonna give in, call me. Any time, day or night. Please. For me. For you.''

Tony felt his eyes slowly close. He wanted to protest, tell Steve this was none of his buisiness and yell at him to go away, but he couldn't. ''Okay.'' 

''Allright, lets get you to bed now.'' Steve picked him up bridal style and normally, Tony would resist, but Steve was warm and his presence was comforting so he swallowed his pride and let his face rest against Steve's neck. 

* * *

 

''Ow sHIT my head's gonna explode!'' was Tony's first thought when he woke up.

He drank a glass of water that mysteriously appeared on his nightstand. And then he remembered. He remembered what he promised to Steve yesterday. He thought about it for a while and decided to act like a grown-up and do the right thing for once.

....................

''Good morning Tony, what are you-''

Steve couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tony was standing there in his boxers and a tanktop, pouring wine down the drain. Many already empty bottles were sitting on the counter. He was actually dumping alcochol!

''Hey Cap. Wanna give me a hand? Not in that way though, I know what you're thinking. Not that I would complain. Just take this whiskey and get rid of it, okay?''

Steve took it without question and emptied it in the sink.

''It's amazing that you're doing this.'' he finally said.

''I couldn't let you down, Capsicle.''

Steve smiled at the nickname. He would never admit this to Tony, but he actually thought it was funny. Few minutes later, all booze was gone and they settled on the couch to watch 'The Lord of the Rings'. Steve's head rested on Tony's shoulder.

''But why didn't they just get the eagles to-''

''Tony, I swear to God, if you finish that sentence I'm leaving.''

''Why? It's a logical question and-''

Steve rolled his eyes. It was the worst thing you could ask a Tolkien fan. But he decided not to strangle Tony (for now) and actually answer.

''Look, the eagles do what they want, they don't care about other living creatures. Besides, do you think they would actually make it to Mount Doom without being killed by the Nazgûl? And by the way, Orcs have bows and arrows.''

''Yeah, whatever.'' Tony mumbled. He kinda missed having Steve's head on his shoulder. For a moment he thought about putting his own head on Steve's arm but decided against it because he didn't want to bother him. In that moment Steve returned to his original position.

'Can he read my mind? Can you read my mind Steve? Steeeeve?' Tony thought and watched the other man carefully to see if he does anything that suggests he heard Tony's thoughts. But nothing happened, Steve's blue eyes stayed fixed on the screen, a few loose strands of blonde hair falling on his forehead.

He knew it was impossible for Steve to actually read his mind, because science bitches, but he had to check anyway.

* * *

 

Steve woke up to faint sounds of giggling but couldn't bring himself to care. His brain was barely working because he just woke up. He was very comfy so he ignored everything and went back to sleep.

.......

''Where am I? This isn't my bed...'' Tony thought. He slowly opened one eye and oh. OH. Looks like he fell asleep during the Lord of the Rings marathon. And so did Steve. With his head resting on Tony's chest and his right arm tucked under Tony's back. His left leg was dangling from the couch and his hair was completely ruined, sticking out at odd angles. He should probably wake Steve up, but he missed being so close to someone very much so he decided to stay just a few more minutes. And fell asleep again.

.......

''Man, this is SO going on instagram!'' Natasha grinned as she snapped another picture.

''WHAT IS THIS GRAM OF INSTA YOU SPEAK OF?'' Thor boomed loudly which resulted in being shushed by everyone in the room.

''Shhhhh you'll wake them! It's a place on the internet where you put your pictures for other people to see.'' Clint whispered.

Steve adjusted himself in sleep and his head fell in Tony's lap, who just snored a little in response. The team made an 'aaawww' noise and took more pictures (which Clint thought were perfect for blackmailing).

.......

When Steve finally opened his eyes, he realized that his head was in Tony's lap and his arm was being crushed by Tony's butt. He blushed bright red in embarrasment and tried to get up without waking the other man but unsurprisingly failed. He felt Tony shuffle slightly and looked up only to find him staring back with sleepy eyes.

''Uhh, heeeey Tony...'' Steve said awkwardly and gave a small wave.

''Hey old man. Looks like we fell asleep.''

''You don't get to call me 'old man', you're older than me!'' Steve tried to sound offended but smiled instead.

''Ouch. And I guess you do look good for an older fellow.'' Tony grinned. That bastard. But then realization hit him.

''Owwww maaaan have they seen this? Have they seen us?! They must have posted a pic on every social network that exists by now!''

''Okay'', Steve said, not fully knowing what all this meant.

''No, you don't get it, it's gonna go viral, media's gonna ask questions, fangirls are gonna write fanfics and there's gonna be so much fanart-''

''Fanfics? Fanart? What's that?'' Steve asked sheepishly.

''Steve, you do not wanna know. I repeat, you do **NOT** WANNA KNOW. Never google it. Let's just say that some of our fans have.... Active imaginations.''

''Okay, thay sounds intriguing. Now I have to know.''

''No, Steve, you're gonna regret it. Seriously.''

'Yeah, like that's gonna stop me', Steve thought and decided he's just gonna google it later. They got up and headed towards the kitchen. 

The rest of the Avengers were already there. They looked all smug and were trying to surpress smiles. 'So, they have seen us', Tony thought. Great. This was gonna be a fun day.

''Hey everyone!'' Steve said cheerfully.

''Well you sound awfully happy toda-OWWWW! NAT! WHAT THE FUCK?!?!'' Clint yelled at Natasha, rubbing his arm which now hurt like hell.

''Good morning boys, have you slept well?'' Nat pulled her best shit-eating grin and Tont groaned mentally.

''Yes, actually. But I'm starving now.'' God, Steve was so innocent. Is it possible he didn't realize the team was mocking them? Tony just decided to remain silent.

He glanced towards Banner and instantly regretted doing it. Bruce was wiggling his eyebrows so fast they were just a blur on his forehead. He shot him the 'say a word and I'll fucking cut you' look.

The rest of the meal was full of sneaky comments, Tony shooting death-glares and still a very oblivious Steve. Tony threw an apple at Clint to stop him from finishing an incredibly inappropriate thought and grinned from ear to ear when it hit him right in his stupid face.

''What the shit, Stark?!''

This was gonna be a long, loooong day. Week. Month. Oh, who is he kidding. This isn't going away any time soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Later that day, Steve found himself bored. He was lying on the floor with his legs up on the bed. ''What should I do?'' he thought. ''Maybe Tony wants to watch a- wait. He said something about 'fanart' earler. What is that?''

He slowly got up and groaned because his back hurt. Wow, Tony is right. He is just an old man. He sat on the bed, crossed his legs and grabbed his laptop.

''Okay, how do you use this thing?'' he pressed a button and the screen lit up. Stark Industries logo flashed across it. ''Now what?''

He almost clicked on internet explorer, but then he remembered Tony screaming at him in horror when Steve tried to click it during their technology lesson. It was a logical thing to do, okay? Tony told him to go to internet and it clearly had the word 'internet' in its name, sooo...

''Google chrome it is, then'', he said and clicked the icon. He slowly typed 'fanart' but that wasn't specific enough so he added 'captain america' fanart in the search bar.

Sweet baby Jesus.

Maybe Tony was right. He didn't want to see all the filthy drawings of him, naked and wrapped in a flag.

''Wait, what is Tumblr?''

''JESUS CHRIST!'' Steve squealed. ''THIS IS... THIS IS- hmm, relevant tags?''

The relevant tags were Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers, and Stony. He knew better than to click on that mystery word but the curiosity got him. He wanted to know what it was.

Steve gaped like a fish. Never in his wildest dreams would he think that people are imagining him and Tony together. Like,  _together_ together. His face was on fire. But he couldn't bring himself to look away.

He knew that being gay is accepted in 21st century but this is... He had no words. There were some pictures he found cute though. Tony and him doing stuff together. There was this one where Steve is reading under the soft light of Tony's arc reactor.

''Steeeeeeve, I'm not your personal reading lamp!'' -''shhhh of course you are'', it said. But he then realised they were sharing a bed.

If it was possible to blush any more, he did.

* * *

 

Steve had been incredibly busy for the following week. He hasn't seen Tony much because he was always on missions. Tony noticed that Steve was missing breakfast and their movie nights. Didn't even reply to his texts. Maybe Steve was avoiding him? Maybe he felt weird because of what happened earlier, or maybe he was just simply bored of him? It's not like it hasn't happened before. People get tired of him easily. And they leave. Everybody leaves eventually. He was feeling good since he stopped drinking, but now he got low again. He felt lonelier than ever and the thought of losing Steve didn't help at all. He was once again reminded of just how alone he really is. He wanted a drink really bad. But he promised. He promised to Steve. But Steve doesn't care anyway. At least not as much as Tony does.

............

Three days passed and Steve still wasn't around. Tony's heart clenched painfully whenever he thought about him. But Steve was better off without Tony wasting his time. He felt like he was going to crack under the pressure and pick up a bottle. 

''If you ever feel like you're gonna give in, give me a call. Any time, day or night.''

He grabbed his phone, clicked on Steve's name and stared at the call button. He finally decided to press it. But no one answered. Of course Steve didn't actually mean it when he promised his support. He was just being nice. How could he be so stupid and trust him? Tony grabbed his keys and drove off to a bar.

............

Steve felt uneasy. Something was wrong. He just came home and Tony was nowhere to be found, not even the workshop. He decided to text him and tapped at the screen to turn on his phone. The screen showed a missed call. Shit, Tony called and he didn't answer. Steve felt like the biggest asshole ever.

''Jarvis, can you tell me where Tony is?''

''I'm afraid Sir went out for a drink.'' if it was possible for an AI to sound worried, this was it.

Steve's heart dropped. ''But why?! When did he leave?!''

There was a long pause.

''Four and a half hours ago, sir.''

Steve felt sick. ''Where is he?''

.............

Steve was driving much faster than the speed limit allowed. He needed to get to Tony, like, yesterday. His lip was bleeding from where his teeth sunk in the flesh. When he finally arrived, he ran inside and immediately started searching for Tony.

And there he was. Head on the table, a half empty bottle in his hand, one already empty next to him. He was a mess.

''Tony...TONY! Wake up! Please! Tony can you hear me?!'' Steve begged.

''Hi, Steve.'' his raised his head from the table. Blodshot eyes, hair so unlike the usual perfection. He looked so much older.

''Why are you here? Came for a drink?'' Tony asked and offered the bottle. Steve took it and set it aside. ''No, I came to get you. To take you home.''

''Why, Steve? Just why? Why can't you leave me alone?''

''Because I care about you, Tony.'' It was true. But Tony just snorted and huffed out a laugh.

''Yeah right. Go home, Steve.'' he tried to grab the bottle but Steve moved it out of his reach. ''I do, Tony! I _really_ do. And I'm not going home without you.''

''Yeah, well, I don't wanna go. Leave me alone.'' Tony tried to walk away but couldn't stand so he just flopped back in his chair. Steve curled his arm around Tony's waist and helped him up. ''Let's just go home. Please.'' Tony resisted at first but gave in eventually.

''Fine'', Tony mumbled.

...............

Steve carried Tony to his room and layed him on the bed. He brought a glass of water to try to sober him up a bit. And it worked. Tony felt far more sober than he'd like.

''What have I done... I promised...to you. I did. And I broke my promise. Will you ever forgive me, Steve? _Please_  forgive me. I was weak. I'll try harder, I swear!''

Steve shook his head. ''No, don't apologise, just tell me why did you do it. Why did you drink?''

''Because... I felt so lonely. And I thought I lost you. I thought you got bored of me and left. I mean, if you don't want to hang out, just tell me. I'm used to it.''

''No, no, nonono, I do, I _do_ want to hang out, it's just that... I've been so busy, SHIELD won't leave me alone for a second. But I really do enjoy hanging out with you.''

''God, I'm so glad to hear that. But can we talk in the morning? I'm exhausted.''

Tony started taking his clothes off. Steve didn't know what to do. Should he look away? Maybe he should- are those...?

''Why are you wearing Captain America boxers?!?!'' Huh, he has never heard his own voice go so high.

''Whaaaaat? He's my favorite superhero!!'' Tony said and fell asleep.

Steve smiled fondly and whispered,

''Just remember, Tony. You're not alone.''

But Tony didn't hear him.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Tony woke up feeling like crap. He had a splitting headache, and he felt so sick he almost lost his will for coffee. Almost. Three cups and a hanfull of pills (with very questionable side effects) later, he remembered (most of) his last-night conversation with Steve. He slapped himself mentally for taking his pants off in front of Steve, and mentally hung himself for wearing Captain America boxers.

Actually, no. He didn't regret that at all. The look on Steve's face was priceless.

He wondered if Steve really cared. He did drive all the way there to get him, right? But that's Steve he was talking about, and he would do that for anyone.

''That man's heart is made of gold. And rainbows. And fairy dust.'' Tony smiled.

....................

 

 

''Good morni-'' Tony began as he walked into the kitchen but he shut right up as soon as he saw Clint using the coffee machine. He will never forgive him for that time he somehow setting it on fire. The room had to be repainted twice.

''Barton. Hands where I can see them and step away from the coffee machine.''

Clint groaned. ''It was one time, Tony, ** _one_   _time_. ** I accidentally blow up your precious coffee machine _ONE TIME,_ and now I'm not allowed to drink coffee anymore??''

''Exactly. If you want it, ask Cap to get it for you.'' Tony pointed at Steve, who was eating, no, _inhaling_ a sandwich the size of a toddler. Where the hell does he put all that food?!

''Yeah, because the old fossil here is so good with technology'', Clint mumbled.

''It's to _early_ for this shit!'' Steve whined.

''Two things, Cap. First, LANGUAGE. Second, it's 1pm. That's not early. Not even for me.'' 

''It's always too early for this shh-tuff'', Steve mumbled.

* * *

 

 

Things were going pretty great for Tony. The Avengers were called out a few times, but they handled it with ease. He actually started to feel like he belonged there. He even considered them his friends now. Especially Steve. They've been hanging out a lot lately, Tony even taught him how to use computers. That involved occasionally hitting Steve in the back of the head with newspaper when he clicked on the 'Congratulations! You're the lucky 10 000th visitor!' pop-up ads (''Ooooowww what the heeell Tony? Did you just hit me with newspaper?! What the fu-'' ''L.A.N.G.U.A.G.E.'')

The went to museums sometimes (''Steeeeeeeeveee I'm booored! I wanna go HOOOOMMEEE!!!'' ''Shut up Tony, we've only been here for fifteen minutes!'' ''FIFTEEN?! That's the longest I've ever been in a museum! Pleeeeeaseee let's just gooooo!'' ''No. Jesus Christ, you're such a man-child. Grow up.'' Steve tried to hide his grin and appear serious but failed.)

Steve even had his own couch in Tony's workshop where he'd sit while Tony tinkers. They would chat sometimes, but Tony often gets so caught up in his work, he doesn't pay any attention to Steve. So he decided to bring his pencils and sketchbooks and start drawing. Sometimes he'd draw Dummy and U (Tony's fancy robots. He hates it when Steve calls them that because 'they're so much more than just robots'. So what does Steve call them? 'Robots', of course.) but he drew Tony the most. He never showed him, though, because of logical reasons. Okay, there weren't any but Steve was simply afraid of Tony not liking them so he kept them hidden in his desk. It's not weird. It's not.

Tony's favorite place to visit with Steve was obviously the shawarma restaurant. It became a tradition. Since the big attack on New York, they'd visit it weekly. Speaking of which, Tony still had nightmares. Sometimes, when he couldn't sleep, he'd go to the kitchen to grab a snack ('hmm, what goes best with PTSD nightmares? Peanuts? Strawberries? Mmmmmm, straaaaawberrieeess.') but he never reached for a bottle. He promised to Steve and he's not letting him down (again). He'd usually find someone in the kitchen since all of them had bad dreams from time to time. When he runs into Steve, they settle on the couch to watch a movie and fall asleep right there. That, of course, leads to lots of embarrasing photos and Clint's stupid comments. They even woke up once to discover they were ducktaped together. It took them twenty minutes to break free. Twenty long, awkward minutes with their faces squashed together.

 

Fucking Clint.


	5. Chapter 5

''Remind me why I agreed to do this again?'' Steve whined.

''Because you love me. Certainly not because you broke the expensive Stark Phone I gave you in less than four hours, if that's what you're thinking.'' Tony said as he got out of the car.

''It was an  _accident_. I didn't mean to sit on it you know! And I HATE you for dragging me here.'' He was pouting like a child.

''Hey hey HEY! Don't give me the puppy eyes! And I know I said Stark Phone was resistant to damage but it's no match for your Buns of Steel.''

''Stop saying 'buns of steel'. And stop using capital letters in your head for it. I just know you're doing it and it's weird.''

''Here we are!'' Tony announced happily as they entered the karaoke club.

''Noooooo don't make me goooo! I can't sing!'' Steve protested.

''Bullshit. I heard you sing. And I'm making you go.'' Tony grabbed Steve's arm and dragged him along.

''But I don't want tooooo!'' ''Look who's the man-child now. Hah.''

Tony listened to people's mostly poor attempts in singing (and Steve's whining) for half an hour and decided it's time for them to shine. He turned to Steve. ''So, wanna go first?''

'' _No!_ I don't wanna go at all!'' Tony pursed his lips. After thinking about it for a minute his face lit up.

''What if we go together? A duet?''

'I guess it's better than preforming alone', Steve thought. 

''Yeah, I could do that. But what are we going to sing?''

''How about 'Every breath you take'? We sang it on that party once, everyone loved it! Remember?''

Of course Steve remembered. Singing with Tony was great. Doing anything with Tony was great.

................

Tony went to arrange their preformance. Steve could hear excited whispers everywhere. Iron Man and Captain America singing a duet? That's not something you see everyday.

They climbed the stage. Steve was bouncing from foot to foot. He might be tall and muscular, but on the stage with everyone watching him he felt like that scrawny kid all over again. 

''Relax, Cap. We're gonna nail this.'' Tony gave him a reasuring smile. There were so many phones in the air.

Then the music started.

''Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you...''

'Wow', Steve thought. 'Tony has such a beautiful voice.'

''Every single day, every word you say. Every game you play, every night you stay, I'll be watching you.''

They sounded fantastic.

''Oh can't you see...'' Tony turned to look at Steve.

''You belong to me'', he sang and raised his arm to point at Steve. That took him by surprise and he felt his face heat. But two can play that game.

He took a step towards Tony and reached with his own hand. He made an exaggerated, pained expression to add to the effect.

''How my poor heart aches, with every step you take! Every move you make, every vow you break...''

But Tony couldn't be beaten in his game so easily. He took Steve's hand and pulled him closer. They were face to face now.

''Every smile you fake, every claim you stake, I'll be watching you...'' The audience went crazy.

''Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace, I dream at night, I can only see you face...'' Steve was barely holding back a giggle. It was kinda hard to be serious when Tony's face was so close. His eyes darted over Tony's lips. And Tony must have noticed, because a smug smile decorated his face now.

''I look around but it's you I can't replace, I feel so cold and I long for your embrace, I keep calling, baby, baby, please... Every breath you take, every move you make, every bond you break, every step you take, I'll be watching you...''

Tony made a big finish by dramaticaly swooning and falling in Steve's arms. The crowd was clapping and whistling like crazy. Everyone voted for them, obviously. They received a small golden trophy (which has a special spot on the shelf in the living room).

''Crushed it!'' Tony said proudly. They were on their way home now. ''Yeah, we made quite a show there'', Steve agreed. He coudn't surpress a smile.  ''Wait 'till this hits the newspaper!'' Tony laughed. They spent the rest of the way imagining headlines on magazine covers.

Steve had a little trouble falling asleep that night. He was still under the impression of everything that happened. He was thinking about their preformance, Tony's face so close to his... His heart did a little thing. Then he fell sound asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't heard Robert Downey Jr sing 'Every breath you take' yet, do it now! He's amazing :)


	6. Chapter 6

Steve woke up at 10:30. 'I don't remember sleeping for that long in years', he thought. He discovered he was starving when his stomach grumbled loudly. He headed for the kitchen.

''Good morning, Cap!'' Tony greeted from the other side of the hallway.

''It's not gonna be so good if I don't stuff something in me soon.''

Tony raised an eyebrow. Steve realized his mistake and watched Tony's lips slowly form the biggest shit-eating grin in history.

''OH. MY. GOD. TONY! NOT like that. I DEFINITELY didn't mean it like _that!_  I'm STARVING!  I have to EAT! I meant  _FOOD,_ OKAY?! TONY YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE ME I MEANT FOOD I SWEAR TO GOD I MEANT FOOD!! And I CANNOT be held responsible for what I say when I'm hungry!''

But Tony just kept grinning.

That perverted little shit.

''Sure thing, Cap. Let's go get something in you, shall we?''

Steve threw his head back and groaned loudly. ''This is never going away, huh?''

Tony smiled sweetly at him. ''Jarvis, I hope you got this on tape.''

They walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen (Steve may or may not have held Tony in a choke-hold until he promised not to tell anyone about the little incident earlier). They were greeted by the rest of the team which was gathered around a laptop.

''Hey guys, what are you looking at?'' Steve asked and headed for the fridge.

''Oh, nothing special. Just some two guys singing a duet.'' Natasha said. ''They're awesome by the way, you should check them out.''

They were watching a video of Steve and Tony preforming last night.

Of course they were watching a video of Steve and Tony preforming last night.

Tony smiled widely. ''We nailed it, don't you think?''

''Yeah, you nailed the song, but what we really want to know is if you two actually nailed afterwa-OW! NATASHA I WILL SO GET YOU FOR THIS!'' Clint rubbed the painful spot on the back of his head.

''Sure you are, sweetie.'' Nat replied, smiling. ''And I'm sure you two had a wonderful night.''

Tony let his finger slide across his neck and mouthed 'you are SO dead' to Natasha. She gave him her best 'what did I do?' look. But Steve was too innocent to understand what she was refering to. He yelled over his shoulder as he grabbed some breakfast ingredients from the fridge. 

''You're right, we had a  _great_ night. Tony was amazing!'' Natasha's eyebrows shot up, Clint coughed up a bit of his sandwich and Thor did nothing because he was just as stupid as Steve when it comes to these things. Tony decided to have some fun. 'Dis gon' be good' he thought.

''Oh yeah, we had SO much fun. Steve really knows what he's doing! He is lacking experience, but he learns quickly.''

Clint was choking. Natasha's usual emotionless expression switched into a look of complete shock and horror. Bruce spat out his coffee, and Tony was barely holding his shit together. This was hilarious.

''I'll never be as good as you, Tony. This is kinda new to me, I couldn't preform so well before the serum, but I'm learning.'' Steve said without looking away from the eggs he was cooking.

Clint turned purple.

''Don't worry, you did good. Great, actually. I must say, I didn't expect you to sing so...loud (he gave himself a mental high-five). I thought you were the quiet type. It's good that you sing loud though, because I do that myself.''

Steve turned to Tony and smiled. He noticed he left some purplish marks on Tony's neck when he had him in a choke-hold earlier. ''Thanks. And I'm sorry for giving you those neck bruises earlier.''

Mortified Natasha was preforming a Heimlich maneuver on half-dead Clint and Bruce turned a little green. 'I will never un-hear this', he thought. Thor just stayed blissfully unaware of what was happening.

Tony clapped his hands together. ''Oh, don't worry about them. Well, I have a meeting I have to attend. Bye guys! See ya later, Steve!'' As soon as the elevator door closed, he burst into laughing. ''Did you see their faces, Jarvis?! Make a copy of that, I have to rewatch it later.''

''Your wish is my command, sir.''


End file.
